Hadn't listened to this album in decades (pun intended). I'm a huge Neil fan and while I know this album gets high marks from many, it is just a good album for me. Clearly Pocahontas and Powderfinger are standouts. The only did for me is Welfare Mothers. Have never really warmed to that song. It's a plodding bore. Thrasher is a great listen.
First time listening to Go-Gos album and was impressed. Of course the hits are well known but in general I love the guitar. Has a bit of surfiness to it and the rhythm section is tight. This might anger some diehard fans but while they are good singers, it kind of sounded samey to me after a while.
First time hearing the album. Of course Gin and Juice is iconic, but I just didn't get into this album. The skits were too much, the bullet shots overdone, and the gangsta fronting too much for my taste, though Dre's production and Snoop's laconic vocal style are highlights. Just not my bag overall. Glad to have heard it though.
"That Lady" alone almost demands a 4 by itself. Tight band of course. Some good originals and a number of surprising (to my ears) covers. Good stuff! Not sure what the album title means though! 😂
While I can appreciate his talent, this is just not my cup of tea. I'd be interested in trying a more recent album to see if perhaps there are any stylistic changes I might like.
Hip hop is not my typical go-to for music, in fact i don't stray too far from the Beasties or MF Doom, but this album is a keeper. I will be listening to this again and digging into it. Love the production and themes. Sum of Us is a killer song. I guess it qualifies as old school now and I dig it.
I'd given this album a good listen about a decade ago, so I knew I liked it. But I never went back to it until now. I'm definitely not a Deadhead though have always thought of The Dead phenomenon as kind of fascinating and appreciated it for what it likely meant to true heads. And I know this is a proper studio album. I think it retains a shambling groove despite being confined to more traditional pop/rock song structures. I just think it is a stellar collection of songs. The harmonies are great and so is the production. A standout for me is Attics of My Life. Just beautiful. The chorus to Brokedown Palace is about as good as good as it gets.
Disclaimer: These guys and their subsequent side projects (Pete's Sonic Boom, Spectrum, E.A.R. and Jason's Spiritualized) are some of my all-time favorite recordings. So, this will be extremely biased. Depending on the S3 album I'm listening to at the time, I can make an argument for it being my favorite. But as Playing with Fire is on deck, let's stick to that. This album they really lean into the "spacey" bit in their name. Just beautiful, simple yet somehow intricate ambient odes to something higher or maybe something missing (Lord, Can You Hear Me). And yes, the drug drone haze and daze (How Does It Feel) is there but lyrically it is disguised more, less overt. They do crank it up, notably on Revolution, a great chugging Stooges/MC5 fuzz fest. Another great contrast in the bands are the two main songwriters and their voices. Pete has the lower, less pitch aware of the two, but his sing-speak Rugby accent seems a great compliment to Jason's voice of fragile yearning. As for production, S3 really takes tremolo to new extremes! For the longest time, I didn't know how they were making these slow oscillating rhythms. Some songs really do seem like they are beamed in from space, with organ washes, synth phasing, and sputnik delay tones. Put this album on, turn it up, and get lost in the hypnotic noise and ethereal beauty of Spacemen 3.
If you like analog synth and proggy song writing you are in for a masterpiece. If you don't like those things, you better run far away from this album because it will travel interstellar distances over eons to find you, never giving up until you hear its aural splendor. Once you do you will abandon your previous life to build an analog synthesizer, module by module, to offer it up as a sacrifice to this album. However your intricate craftsmanship betrays you and you get tangled up in patch chords, ensnared by the very machine you wished to sacrifice. You realize the folly in this, yet you are ensnared and can't escape. The mailman hears your screams and alerts authorities, who come and free you from the electronic behemoth. In your disillusionment, you wander the earth for years looking for a sonic template that can elevate you to the dizzying heights and transport you too the interdimensional places that Phaedra had. You never find this peace and you will never be the same. You are cursed to wish the impossible: that you would've just listened to some synth music sooner. And if you had, things would've been a lot different. You could've been happy.
